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Hành trình viết sách - Từ ý tưởng đến hiện thực
Tất tần tật bí kíp tạo nên một cuốn sách hoàn thiện từ một biên tập viên có hơn 20 năm kinh nghiệm làm việc với đa dạng tác giả trên mọi lĩnh vực.
“Tôi biết trong tôi có cả một cuốn sách.”
“Tôi có ý tưởng viết sách nhưng không biết bắt đầu từ đâu”
“Mọi người đều hỏi khi nào tôi mới bắt tay vào viết sách.”
“Tôi đã có cốt truyện rồi, nhưng tôi chẳng có thời gian để viết.”
Đây chỉ là một vài lời chia sẻ mà Kelly Notaras nghe hằng ngày từ những tác-giả-tương-lai từ khắp nơi trên thế giới. Những chuyên gia lâu năm với kinh nghiệm đầy mình muốn chia sẻ những bài học kiến thức hữu ích cho cộng đồng, những anh hùng đời thường vượt qua được nghịch cảnh và muốn truyền cảm hứng cho người khác hay đơn giản hơn là những cá nhân muốn để lại cho đời tác phẩm cuộc đời của chính mì Trong thế giới biến động ngày nay, chúng ta luôn cần những “tiếng nói”, những câu chuyện như vậy. Hơn thế nữa, việc xuất bản sách chưa bao giờ đơn giản, dễ thực hiện hay có chi phí hợp lý. Đây cũng là lý do tại sao vẫn còn rất nhiều nhà lãnh đạo, những người chữa lành và những người yêu thích viết lách còn mắt kẹt ở vạch xuất phát.
Chính vì vậy, cuốn sách này sẽ chính là “ngọn đèn” soi tỏ đường bước cho họ, một con đường đơn giản với từng bước đi cụ thể giúp các “cây bút” biến ý tưởng thành tác phẩm hoàn chỉnh. Kelly Notaras, với kinh nghiệm dày dặn trong ngành xuất bản, đã trình bày rõ ràng quy trình xuất bản sách, cung cấp cho những người muốn trở thành một tác giả bộ công cụ và những thông tin nội ngành cũng như truyền cảm hứng để những cá nhân đam mê viết lách có thể mạnh dạn bắt đầu, kiên trì đi hết hành trình và về đích nhanh nhất có thể.
Cuốn sách này dành cho ai?
Bất kỳ ai muốn trở thành tác giả và muốn viết ra (một hay nhiều) cuốn sách nhằm chia sẻ tri thức và cảm hứng với mục tiêu giúp đỡ được những người cần.
Những người chưa từng cầm bút viết một cách nghiêm túc, muốn kể câu chuyện của mình nhưng chưa biết bắt đầu từ đâu hoặc thiếu động lực để bắt đầu.
Những người đã có sẵn bản thảo hoàn chỉnh, sẵn sàng ra mắt nhưng không biết liên hệ với ai, hay cần thực hiện các bước gì để xuất bản sách.
Điều đặc biệt từ cuốn sách
Thay vì chỉ đưa ra những lời khuyên chung chung, tác giả đã tạo ra một hệ thống rõ ràng và chi tiết giúp người đọc viết sách một cách dễ dàng hơn. Bên cạnh đó, cuốn sách còn cung cấp cho độc giả nhiều công cụ hữu ích để giúp họ tìm ra ý tưởng và viết sách một cách hiệu quả.
- Chủ đề đánh trúng nhu cầu của thị trường Việt Nam hiện nay: rất nhiều người hiện đang mong muốn xuất bản tác phẩm riêng, không dừng ở dạng tự truyện/hồi ký quen thuộc mà cả dạng sách phi hư cấu truyền cảm hứng, chia sẻ kiến thức.
- Tác giả Kelly Notaras có hơn 20 năm kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực xuất bản, đã cộng tác và đồng hành với rất nhiều tác giả sách bán chạy; từng làm biên tập trong big 5 NXB nước ngoài như HarperCollins, Penguin USA, Hyperion Books.
- Cuốn sách còn sở hữu những dòng chia sẻ chân thực về hành trình viết sách của các tác giả Việt
Về tác giả:
Kelly Notaras sở hữu KN Literary Arts, một đơn vị xuất bản sách chuyên về thể loại phát triển bản thân (self-help), phát triển cá nhân và tâm linh. Sự nghiệp của Kelly khởi đầu ở vai trò biên tập viên cho các nhà xuất bản HarperCollins, Penguin USA và Hyperion Books. Sau đó, cô đảm nhiệm vị trí Phó Chủ tịch kiêm tổng biên tập Sounds True, một công ty xuất bản các ấn phẩm đa phương tiện về thể loại tâm linh ở Boulder, Colorado (cho đến năm 2010).
“Tôi biết trong tôi có cả một cuốn sách.”
“Tôi có ý tưởng viết sách nhưng không biết bắt đầu từ đâu”
“Mọi người đều hỏi khi nào tôi mới bắt tay vào viết sách.”
“Tôi đã có cốt truyện rồi, nhưng tôi chẳng có thời gian để viết.”
Đây chỉ là một vài lời chia sẻ mà Kelly Notaras nghe hằng ngày từ những tác-giả-tương-lai từ khắp nơi trên thế giới. Những chuyên gia lâu năm với kinh nghiệm đầy mình muốn chia sẻ những bài học kiến thức hữu ích cho cộng đồng, những anh hùng đời thường vượt qua được nghịch cảnh và muốn truyền cảm hứng cho người khác hay đơn giản hơn là những cá nhân muốn để lại cho đời tác phẩm cuộc đời của chính mì Trong thế giới biến động ngày nay, chúng ta luôn cần những “tiếng nói”, những câu chuyện như vậy. Hơn thế nữa, việc xuất bản sách chưa bao giờ đơn giản, dễ thực hiện hay có chi phí hợp lý. Đây cũng là lý do tại sao vẫn còn rất nhiều nhà lãnh đạo, những người chữa lành và những người yêu thích viết lách còn mắt kẹt ở vạch xuất phát.
Chính vì vậy, cuốn sách này sẽ chính là “ngọn đèn” soi tỏ đường bước cho họ, một con đường đơn giản với từng bước đi cụ thể giúp các “cây bút” biến ý tưởng thành tác phẩm hoàn chỉnh. Kelly Notaras, với kinh nghiệm dày dặn trong ngành xuất bản, đã trình bày rõ ràng quy trình xuất bản sách, cung cấp cho những người muốn trở thành một tác giả bộ công cụ và những thông tin nội ngành cũng như truyền cảm hứng để những cá nhân đam mê viết lách có thể mạnh dạn bắt đầu, kiên trì đi hết hành trình và về đích nhanh nhất có thể.
Cuốn sách này dành cho ai?
Bất kỳ ai muốn trở thành tác giả và muốn viết ra (một hay nhiều) cuốn sách nhằm chia sẻ tri thức và cảm hứng với mục tiêu giúp đỡ được những người cần.
Những người chưa từng cầm bút viết một cách nghiêm túc, muốn kể câu chuyện của mình nhưng chưa biết bắt đầu từ đâu hoặc thiếu động lực để bắt đầu.
Những người đã có sẵn bản thảo hoàn chỉnh, sẵn sàng ra mắt nhưng không biết liên hệ với ai, hay cần thực hiện các bước gì để xuất bản sách.
Điều đặc biệt từ cuốn sách
Thay vì chỉ đưa ra những lời khuyên chung chung, tác giả đã tạo ra một hệ thống rõ ràng và chi tiết giúp người đọc viết sách một cách dễ dàng hơn. Bên cạnh đó, cuốn sách còn cung cấp cho độc giả nhiều công cụ hữu ích để giúp họ tìm ra ý tưởng và viết sách một cách hiệu quả.
- Chủ đề đánh trúng nhu cầu của thị trường Việt Nam hiện nay: rất nhiều người hiện đang mong muốn xuất bản tác phẩm riêng, không dừng ở dạng tự truyện/hồi ký quen thuộc mà cả dạng sách phi hư cấu truyền cảm hứng, chia sẻ kiến thức.
- Tác giả Kelly Notaras có hơn 20 năm kinh nghiệm trong lĩnh vực xuất bản, đã cộng tác và đồng hành với rất nhiều tác giả sách bán chạy; từng làm biên tập trong big 5 NXB nước ngoài như HarperCollins, Penguin USA, Hyperion Books.
- Cuốn sách còn sở hữu những dòng chia sẻ chân thực về hành trình viết sách của các tác giả Việt
Về tác giả:
Kelly Notaras sở hữu KN Literary Arts, một đơn vị xuất bản sách chuyên về thể loại phát triển bản thân (self-help), phát triển cá nhân và tâm linh. Sự nghiệp của Kelly khởi đầu ở vai trò biên tập viên cho các nhà xuất bản HarperCollins, Penguin USA và Hyperion Books. Sau đó, cô đảm nhiệm vị trí Phó Chủ tịch kiêm tổng biên tập Sounds True, một công ty xuất bản các ấn phẩm đa phương tiện về thể loại tâm linh ở Boulder, Colorado (cho đến năm 2010).
300 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2023
313 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
dnf
May 12, 2021Got only a few pages into it before realizing that this was intended for aspiring authors of self-help books. I am not that, so into the used book box it goes. Sorry, well-meaning relative!
February 6, 2021
Couldn't put this book down!
Thank you Kelly for writing this amazing book! I bought this after attending an online Hay House writers workshop and was not disappointed. This book has given me such inspiration to get on with writing a book. It covers amazing insider tips from the publishing and editing world for transformational nonfiction authors, outlining all the necessary steps to both write and publish yourself or get yourself ready to approach publishing houses. While I'm a very very long way off a finished manuscript, it's been invaluable to help me orient myself from the beginning of my writing journey. I especially loved her writing style which accurately reflects her humour and personality throughout, sample book structures and the exercises to get clarity on motivation. I feel energised and determined to continue with my writing, keeping my now not so unrealistic aspirations of writing a book firmly in sight. A great read I suspect I'll be revisiting many times.
Thank you Kelly for writing this amazing book! I bought this after attending an online Hay House writers workshop and was not disappointed. This book has given me such inspiration to get on with writing a book. It covers amazing insider tips from the publishing and editing world for transformational nonfiction authors, outlining all the necessary steps to both write and publish yourself or get yourself ready to approach publishing houses. While I'm a very very long way off a finished manuscript, it's been invaluable to help me orient myself from the beginning of my writing journey. I especially loved her writing style which accurately reflects her humour and personality throughout, sample book structures and the exercises to get clarity on motivation. I feel energised and determined to continue with my writing, keeping my now not so unrealistic aspirations of writing a book firmly in sight. A great read I suspect I'll be revisiting many times.
January 19, 2020
I have been sitting on a memoir for over 15 years. When I finally decided to get serious about publishing my memoir I was looking for a good, simple resource to do it. Kelly's book is one of the best out there. It's simple straightforward and easy to understand. The sample outlines and supporting examples for those outlines were extremely helpful. Thank you for writing it!
June 15, 2021
The Book You Were Born to Write is a guide to writing a full-length transformational nonfiction book by the editor and author Kelly Notaras. After two decades working as a book editor—editing many of today’s biggest personal growth and spirituality authors—Kelly Notaras saw that her clients and readers had important questions about the transformational book writing journey. The Book You Were Born to Write is her answer!
Favourite Take-Aways:
Within the transformational nonfiction genre, the vast majority of books fall into one of three common subcategories.
Prescriptive nonfiction
The first is prescriptive nonfiction, which is a book that teaches the reader a helpful methodology the author has learned or developed.
Inspirational memoir
The second is inspirational memoir, in which the author relates her own life story—often a story of triumph over adversity—for both the entertainment and the benefit of the reader.
Teaching memoir
Teaching memoir, which uses the author’s own story to illustrate lessons that will help the reader in his life.
Writing makes you feel like a rock star a lot of the time. It’s a huge boost to energy, self-esteem, and creativity. (As opposed to thinking about writing, which is a total resource drain.) Writing a book is a dream for so many people.
Getting a book out into the world is rarely a straight line. It’s a hero’s journey, full of twists and turns, dead ends, and unexpected doorways.
Personal Branding
In the Internet age, personality has become the primary draw. Especially in the realm of transformational nonfiction, the marketing game is set up so we feel like we’re not fans of an author but in fact friends with them. Getting an e-mail every week, or sometimes every single day, from an author—reading their words, which seem to be directed straight at us and, if they’re a good match, hit us square in the middle of the heart—we feel like we know them. When their book is published, we not only want to own it, we also want to support our friend’s success!
A book proposal
A book proposal is a document written about your book, kind of like a business plan is about a business. A business plan is written to clarify the founder’s intentions and, in many cases, to generate funding; a book proposal has a similar function. It’s meant to help you get a commitment from a publisher so you know your book has a home before you write it.
Outline
An outline is essentially a written plan for your book, listing each piece of information you want to include, point by point, in its proper order.
When it comes to fiction or memoir, this outline tells an overt story. When we’re working with transformational nonfiction, the outline highlights each idea you will be including and in what chapter it will appear. Outlines come in different shapes and sizes, some skinnier (just bullet points) and some more fleshed out (with topic sentences already written).
The Why-What-Wow of Titling Your Book
If you want your book to be actually read, by actual human beings, in a wide and ongoing way, the most important thing you can do is title it well.
The what-why-wow.
The “what” answers the question, “What is this book about?”
The “why” answers the question, “Why should I read it?” and
The “wow” is that extra added something that catches our attention and conveys the book’s uniqueness.”
Writing Practice
Writing Practice – a regularly scheduled time when you practice writing. This doesn’t mean you have to write perfectly or craft something that will actually go into your book someday. The only commitment is that you sit down to do it, at your scheduled time, whether or not you feel like it. This willingness to do the thing, at the specified time, even if you don’t feel like it, is the defining characteristic of a practice. It’s the same diligence you apply to a yoga practice, or a meditation practice, or even an exercise regimen.
Seven Steps to a Personalized Writing Plan
Step #1: Take out a sheet of paper and your favorite pen or marker.
Step #2: Give yourself an inspiring headline.
Step #3: Take an honest look at your weekly calendar.
Step #4: Chart your plan for the week.
Step 5: Place your writing chart somewhere you will see and use it.
Step 6: Adjust your commitment as you go.
Step 7: Start again next week!
The writing plan is all about consistency over quantity. Write every day, even just a little bit. If you complete your plan three weeks in a row—the length of time they say it takes to create a new habit—you may find yourself shocked by how much content you generated.
CRAFT YOUR HOOK
Craft a one- or two-sentence encapsulation of the topic. In the parlance of traditional publishing, that encapsulation is called a hook. And true to its name, the point of this little nugget of information is to catch the reader’s attention—to hook them, like an unsuspecting mackerel—so they can’t walk out of the bookstore without your book under their arm.
The hook for a book might also be called its “concept,” “premise,” or “conceit.” In the film industry, it’s sometimes referred to as an elevator pitch—because ideally you can transmit the “big idea” of your film in the time it would take you and an influential producer to travel in an elevator from one floor to the next.
There are five basic qualities to try to bake into your book’s hook even before you start writing. What you should aim for is a hook that is high-concept, narrowly tailored, unique, magnetic, and salable.
JUST START WRITING
Where a visual artist creates art that is a feast for the eyes, a writer of books weaves worlds that unfold in the imagination. Every word has an impact; every phrase either ushers the reader closer to the author’s meaning or holds him at arm’s length. In this way the act of sitting down to write is the act of crafting, like an artisan, the seed of a new world.
Writing anything—good or bad, brilliant or sh*tty—is better than not writing at all. For a writer, a day when pen touches page is a successful day. Writing comes before all other pleasures—if only because very little else is pleasurable until one has done one’s daily writing.
Handle your Resistance
Resistance is any false obstacle, known or unknown, that is standing between you and writing your book.
As anyone who’s studied depth psychology and shadow work can tell you, there is a reason for every counterproductive behavior we have—including resisting doing the exact thing we most want to do. Usually it’s a very good reason. Often it’s our attempt to avoid a replay of painful feelings we experienced in childhood. When it comes to writing, we might be trying to avoid feelings like shame or humiliation or the fear of being seen. Pretty rotten emotions that no sane person would sign up for.
Resistance is not the enemy; it’s deeply a part of you. Trust it, honor it, and learn to love it. Good writing can’t help but follow.
Editing
Copyediting
Copyediting happens when the book is still in manuscript form; it is the last phase of editing before the book is set into type. Done well, its impact is invisible to the end reader. Done poorly—or left out altogether—its absence is felt by everyone. Copyediting is an extremely important phase in the life cycle of a traditionally published book.
Proofreading
Proofreading (or “proofing,” for short) takes place once the book has been set into type. Typeset pages are referred to as proofs, and they are read for errors. (The term “proofreading” is thus a refreshing example of truth in advertising.) Proofing is also invisible to the reader—unless it hasn’t happened.
Front matter and back matter.
Front matter is all the material that comes before page one of your book’s content. This includes things like the title page, copyright page, table of contents, and foreword.
Back matter, as you can likely deduce, is everything that comes after the last page of the book’s main content. Appendixes, indexes, reading group guides, acknowledgments, author bio, and sometimes (especially in genre fiction) advertisements for other books.
As important as your book is, the journey of writing is where the treasure lies. It’s no coincidence that birthing metaphors abound in the book business; writing a book is in many ways a similar creative process to having a child. Your book will take time to gestate. There may be some scares along the way. And labor pains are to be expected as the book emerges from your heart, mind, and spirit and makes its way into the world. Each of these stages is meant to teach you something. Something about yourself, about your readers, and about your purpose in this lifetime.
Favourite Take-Aways:
Within the transformational nonfiction genre, the vast majority of books fall into one of three common subcategories.
Prescriptive nonfiction
The first is prescriptive nonfiction, which is a book that teaches the reader a helpful methodology the author has learned or developed.
Inspirational memoir
The second is inspirational memoir, in which the author relates her own life story—often a story of triumph over adversity—for both the entertainment and the benefit of the reader.
Teaching memoir
Teaching memoir, which uses the author’s own story to illustrate lessons that will help the reader in his life.
Writing makes you feel like a rock star a lot of the time. It’s a huge boost to energy, self-esteem, and creativity. (As opposed to thinking about writing, which is a total resource drain.) Writing a book is a dream for so many people.
Getting a book out into the world is rarely a straight line. It’s a hero’s journey, full of twists and turns, dead ends, and unexpected doorways.
Personal Branding
In the Internet age, personality has become the primary draw. Especially in the realm of transformational nonfiction, the marketing game is set up so we feel like we’re not fans of an author but in fact friends with them. Getting an e-mail every week, or sometimes every single day, from an author—reading their words, which seem to be directed straight at us and, if they’re a good match, hit us square in the middle of the heart—we feel like we know them. When their book is published, we not only want to own it, we also want to support our friend’s success!
A book proposal
A book proposal is a document written about your book, kind of like a business plan is about a business. A business plan is written to clarify the founder’s intentions and, in many cases, to generate funding; a book proposal has a similar function. It’s meant to help you get a commitment from a publisher so you know your book has a home before you write it.
Outline
An outline is essentially a written plan for your book, listing each piece of information you want to include, point by point, in its proper order.
When it comes to fiction or memoir, this outline tells an overt story. When we’re working with transformational nonfiction, the outline highlights each idea you will be including and in what chapter it will appear. Outlines come in different shapes and sizes, some skinnier (just bullet points) and some more fleshed out (with topic sentences already written).
The Why-What-Wow of Titling Your Book
If you want your book to be actually read, by actual human beings, in a wide and ongoing way, the most important thing you can do is title it well.
The what-why-wow.
The “what” answers the question, “What is this book about?”
The “why” answers the question, “Why should I read it?” and
The “wow” is that extra added something that catches our attention and conveys the book’s uniqueness.”
Writing Practice
Writing Practice – a regularly scheduled time when you practice writing. This doesn’t mean you have to write perfectly or craft something that will actually go into your book someday. The only commitment is that you sit down to do it, at your scheduled time, whether or not you feel like it. This willingness to do the thing, at the specified time, even if you don’t feel like it, is the defining characteristic of a practice. It’s the same diligence you apply to a yoga practice, or a meditation practice, or even an exercise regimen.
Seven Steps to a Personalized Writing Plan
Step #1: Take out a sheet of paper and your favorite pen or marker.
Step #2: Give yourself an inspiring headline.
Step #3: Take an honest look at your weekly calendar.
Step #4: Chart your plan for the week.
Step 5: Place your writing chart somewhere you will see and use it.
Step 6: Adjust your commitment as you go.
Step 7: Start again next week!
The writing plan is all about consistency over quantity. Write every day, even just a little bit. If you complete your plan three weeks in a row—the length of time they say it takes to create a new habit—you may find yourself shocked by how much content you generated.
CRAFT YOUR HOOK
Craft a one- or two-sentence encapsulation of the topic. In the parlance of traditional publishing, that encapsulation is called a hook. And true to its name, the point of this little nugget of information is to catch the reader’s attention—to hook them, like an unsuspecting mackerel—so they can’t walk out of the bookstore without your book under their arm.
The hook for a book might also be called its “concept,” “premise,” or “conceit.” In the film industry, it’s sometimes referred to as an elevator pitch—because ideally you can transmit the “big idea” of your film in the time it would take you and an influential producer to travel in an elevator from one floor to the next.
There are five basic qualities to try to bake into your book’s hook even before you start writing. What you should aim for is a hook that is high-concept, narrowly tailored, unique, magnetic, and salable.
JUST START WRITING
Where a visual artist creates art that is a feast for the eyes, a writer of books weaves worlds that unfold in the imagination. Every word has an impact; every phrase either ushers the reader closer to the author’s meaning or holds him at arm’s length. In this way the act of sitting down to write is the act of crafting, like an artisan, the seed of a new world.
Writing anything—good or bad, brilliant or sh*tty—is better than not writing at all. For a writer, a day when pen touches page is a successful day. Writing comes before all other pleasures—if only because very little else is pleasurable until one has done one’s daily writing.
Handle your Resistance
Resistance is any false obstacle, known or unknown, that is standing between you and writing your book.
As anyone who’s studied depth psychology and shadow work can tell you, there is a reason for every counterproductive behavior we have—including resisting doing the exact thing we most want to do. Usually it’s a very good reason. Often it’s our attempt to avoid a replay of painful feelings we experienced in childhood. When it comes to writing, we might be trying to avoid feelings like shame or humiliation or the fear of being seen. Pretty rotten emotions that no sane person would sign up for.
Resistance is not the enemy; it’s deeply a part of you. Trust it, honor it, and learn to love it. Good writing can’t help but follow.
Editing
Copyediting
Copyediting happens when the book is still in manuscript form; it is the last phase of editing before the book is set into type. Done well, its impact is invisible to the end reader. Done poorly—or left out altogether—its absence is felt by everyone. Copyediting is an extremely important phase in the life cycle of a traditionally published book.
Proofreading
Proofreading (or “proofing,” for short) takes place once the book has been set into type. Typeset pages are referred to as proofs, and they are read for errors. (The term “proofreading” is thus a refreshing example of truth in advertising.) Proofing is also invisible to the reader—unless it hasn’t happened.
Front matter and back matter.
Front matter is all the material that comes before page one of your book’s content. This includes things like the title page, copyright page, table of contents, and foreword.
Back matter, as you can likely deduce, is everything that comes after the last page of the book’s main content. Appendixes, indexes, reading group guides, acknowledgments, author bio, and sometimes (especially in genre fiction) advertisements for other books.
As important as your book is, the journey of writing is where the treasure lies. It’s no coincidence that birthing metaphors abound in the book business; writing a book is in many ways a similar creative process to having a child. Your book will take time to gestate. There may be some scares along the way. And labor pains are to be expected as the book emerges from your heart, mind, and spirit and makes its way into the world. Each of these stages is meant to teach you something. Something about yourself, about your readers, and about your purpose in this lifetime.
November 26, 2024
The book is very helpful and informative while also maintaining the personality of the author which I find can get lost in books that explain as complex of a process as the publishing process. I will definitely be going back and consulting this book as I continue writing and learning the process of self-publishing.
February 27, 2021
nice introduction book if you consider to write a non-fiction book yourself
January 31, 2023
Helpful.
April 27, 2025
EXCELLENT deep dive into how to get the book you want to write out into the world! 🥰
November 15, 2019
After only reading a couple of chapters of The Book You Were Born to Write, I felt enormous relief. Could it be that at last it just might be ok to cut myself some slack about my writing?
For as long as I can remember, I have had myself backed up to a harshly judging butt-kicking machine. I felt that way because I’ve yet to show a finished book for all the time and effort expended.
Of course, the sad irony is that the more I take the kicking, the less energy I have to actually write anything. I’m grateful to say that the first thing this book did for me (and I say “for me” because I swear Kelly writes like it was just the two of us out for an afternoon coffee) was to debunk the myth that if one has something worthwhile to say, that one should also know how to write a book on the subject. Apparently, it just ain’t so! Wait, what?! That never, ever occurred to me! This means that as the New Year nears this time around, I won’t have to play the game of “this is the year I will publish my book, gosh darn it!.”
Her teaching is in a fun-loving style and covers many topics such as how to approach one’s book title and outline to pitching to publishers. The pages move along with great examples and commentary that kept me chuckling from front cover to back.
One of the many helpful suggestions she offers is what books to read to stay inspired on the writing journey. Having these in my writer’s tool box comes in handy when the self-talk starts to sound like Dana Carvey’s The Church Lady from SNL. Another is the strategy of how to take the many wasted hours I’d no doubt spend on social media anyway and trade a bit of that time to build a platform of fans for my work, which in turn will prove to both myself and potential publishers that mine is one of those “ideas worth sharing” as TED boasts and that there is indeed a market for my book. Now that’s using those evil apps for good. Ha!
If you have read this far into my review you likely own (as Lord knows I do!) a shelf full of books on writing that offer promises of successful manuscript completion. We both may still go back to those as helpful resources for fine tuning. But happily, light-hearted encouragement and industry proven know-how have arrived. Now is the time to do yourself a favor. Unplug the butt-kicking machine and get some fresh air on your way to your local bookstore to get your own copy. This book can fulfill the promise to put some much-needed fun and confidence back into your book writing experience. Enjoy!
For as long as I can remember, I have had myself backed up to a harshly judging butt-kicking machine. I felt that way because I’ve yet to show a finished book for all the time and effort expended.
Of course, the sad irony is that the more I take the kicking, the less energy I have to actually write anything. I’m grateful to say that the first thing this book did for me (and I say “for me” because I swear Kelly writes like it was just the two of us out for an afternoon coffee) was to debunk the myth that if one has something worthwhile to say, that one should also know how to write a book on the subject. Apparently, it just ain’t so! Wait, what?! That never, ever occurred to me! This means that as the New Year nears this time around, I won’t have to play the game of “this is the year I will publish my book, gosh darn it!.”
Her teaching is in a fun-loving style and covers many topics such as how to approach one’s book title and outline to pitching to publishers. The pages move along with great examples and commentary that kept me chuckling from front cover to back.
One of the many helpful suggestions she offers is what books to read to stay inspired on the writing journey. Having these in my writer’s tool box comes in handy when the self-talk starts to sound like Dana Carvey’s The Church Lady from SNL. Another is the strategy of how to take the many wasted hours I’d no doubt spend on social media anyway and trade a bit of that time to build a platform of fans for my work, which in turn will prove to both myself and potential publishers that mine is one of those “ideas worth sharing” as TED boasts and that there is indeed a market for my book. Now that’s using those evil apps for good. Ha!
If you have read this far into my review you likely own (as Lord knows I do!) a shelf full of books on writing that offer promises of successful manuscript completion. We both may still go back to those as helpful resources for fine tuning. But happily, light-hearted encouragement and industry proven know-how have arrived. Now is the time to do yourself a favor. Unplug the butt-kicking machine and get some fresh air on your way to your local bookstore to get your own copy. This book can fulfill the promise to put some much-needed fun and confidence back into your book writing experience. Enjoy!
December 10, 2020
“Sit down and write” she says. Accumulate words on a page, strive for word count . Be ok with a “shitty” first daft. Before you do that get a hook that:
-has a high concept
-narrowly tailored
-unique
-magnetic
-saleable
Kelly Notaras’s So You Were Born to Write a Book, Everything you need to (finally) Get Your Wisdom Onto the Page and into the World, brings structure, enthusiasm and experienced encouragement to writing a book. Kelly offers an understanding of the path from writer to author and how to avoid the “rabbit holes of doom”.
If only we all had Kelly or someone like her as a teacher in high school or professor in college, we may have already published several books. Kelly Notaras is the Lou Holtz or Mike Krzyzewski coach of writing a book and becoming an author. She clearly knows the plays, knows who has won the championships and why they did , and really has a delightful approach to coaching.
Kelly is a content editor, she writes further, “content nearly always trumps grammar” (hoping the same for my review 😳). Strive for “A book that has something new to say, and says it in a beautiful unique and accessible way. A book whose content is artfully crafted, comprehensive, easily digested and a page turner.”
Having heard some ruthless critiques persons have received in writing their books that left them returning home from weekend book writing seminars in tears, I do wish instead they had encountered Kelly. She understands “the little one” inside all of us, including myself, encouraging us to find the best friend we never knew- ourselves.
This is an outstanding short “how to” book, packed full of sage advice.
Sent from my iPhone
-has a high concept
-narrowly tailored
-unique
-magnetic
-saleable
Kelly Notaras’s So You Were Born to Write a Book, Everything you need to (finally) Get Your Wisdom Onto the Page and into the World, brings structure, enthusiasm and experienced encouragement to writing a book. Kelly offers an understanding of the path from writer to author and how to avoid the “rabbit holes of doom”.
If only we all had Kelly or someone like her as a teacher in high school or professor in college, we may have already published several books. Kelly Notaras is the Lou Holtz or Mike Krzyzewski coach of writing a book and becoming an author. She clearly knows the plays, knows who has won the championships and why they did , and really has a delightful approach to coaching.
Kelly is a content editor, she writes further, “content nearly always trumps grammar” (hoping the same for my review 😳). Strive for “A book that has something new to say, and says it in a beautiful unique and accessible way. A book whose content is artfully crafted, comprehensive, easily digested and a page turner.”
Having heard some ruthless critiques persons have received in writing their books that left them returning home from weekend book writing seminars in tears, I do wish instead they had encountered Kelly. She understands “the little one” inside all of us, including myself, encouraging us to find the best friend we never knew- ourselves.
This is an outstanding short “how to” book, packed full of sage advice.
Sent from my iPhone
October 31, 2023
This was almost a 4-star, but sometimes long and, um, forgettable, I suppose. It was good, and you can tell that the author is experienced. If I had read it before any of the other books on writing, I am sure I would have ranked it much higher. It includes a lot about the editing world that I didn't know before, so I enjoyed that part of it, and I appreciated the freedom it gives to just... write! Go for it! That's always a good message, and it wasn't sugar-coated to make you feel like you'll be an immediate success. Some people should write, and some people shouldn't. This showed the process for book publishing—both traditional and self-publishing—and it was an informative read.
February 10, 2019
Kelly Notaras The Book you were born to write is the "Bible" that every Author and writer should have. It's a wonderful reference at every step in your writing process. Remarkably divided into three sections it doesn't matter what stage of your writing process that you are at every chapter is most helpful. Notara's book was released during the end stages of my manuscript when I was entering the publishing/marketing stage. I found the last section very helpful. I am looking forward to using this "Bible" as I begin the writing of my Second Book.
January 2, 2019
This is a fantastic book that has gotten me fired up to write! Kelly Notaras' "The Book You Were Born to Write" lifts my spirits every time I read it! I wish I had this book to guide me when I wrote my first book "Birth of a Brain." Kelly shares such an amazing wealth of experience, insights, and suggestions. Her book is helping me take my preparations for my next book #2 to a whole new and wonderful level.
September 3, 2020
Excellent.
Very clear, comprehensive and detailed, this book takes you from creating an outstanding 'hook' for your book, to finding an agent, to creating a great book proposal, and so much more.
If you are writing - or planning to write - a transformational non-fiction book, or an inspirational memoir, this is the book for you.
Very clear, comprehensive and detailed, this book takes you from creating an outstanding 'hook' for your book, to finding an agent, to creating a great book proposal, and so much more.
If you are writing - or planning to write - a transformational non-fiction book, or an inspirational memoir, this is the book for you.
February 9, 2021
I read this book while I was writing my first book. As an indie author, it helped me to navigate the uncharted territory - everything from outlining my book, to choosing a title and hook etc. I highly recommend it for new authors or those who may have published before and would like to take their game to the next level.
December 17, 2020
So much information! This book is a great view of publishing a book, either traditionally or self-publishing. The author presents lots of in-depth information in a very personable way. I now feel like I have a much better idea of what goes on in the writing and publishing of a book. Now, to write my own!
November 19, 2018
Incredibly informative, approachable, and practical! I received this book as a gift and literally haven’t put it down since! It’s a fast read, but be sure you have little sticky notes or post it’s nearby to flag all the thoughts that will crop up! Guaranteed there will be a lot of them!
March 29, 2019
I saw this book as recommended on Amazon and I am really glad I bought it. It was exactly what I needed to motivate me to start writing my book. Once you create the hook and outline, you're good to go. Happy writing!
June 22, 2019
Informative, Breezy Read and Entertaining
Kelly knows her industry and she speaks like a big sister wanting you to succeed as she guides you to the world of book writing and publishing.
Kelly knows her industry and she speaks like a big sister wanting you to succeed as she guides you to the world of book writing and publishing.
April 10, 2020
Kinda wish I had read this before publishing my first book! Better late than never! I took some valuable instruction and advice and will be implementing it in the birth of my next work! Very easy to read, very engaging and I recommend this read to any aspiring Authors!
February 23, 2019
I found this extremely helpful as I’m planning the next phase of my life (and writing in fall 2019 and all 2020).
Thanks for putting this together.
Thanks for putting this together.
April 11, 2019
This is a fantastic resource for aspiring writers. Kelly explains all of the necessary components to set you up for success, whether you choose the traditional or self-publishing route.
April 14, 2020
Thanks to Kelly Notaras for writing this book! It was exactly what I needed to read and I shall reference it throughout the year. What a treasure!
January 17, 2023
Before I go any further, as other reviews have stated, this is a guide about drafting, writing, and publishing a nonfiction manuscript. If you write fiction or poetry, this may not provide the tips and tricks to help you as much as someone who is focusing on NF. The publication part is universal, but the drafting and writing are both vastly different.
Kelly Notaras has decades of experience in the publishing world and provided every detail to not only getting published or finding an agent, but also how to create the nonfiction book you were born to write, whether it's autobiographical, business forward, educational, or motivational. She breaks down the process into three obvious sections: pre-writing, writing, and post-writing.
Notaras provides a few outlines in both the chronological book as well as in the appendix. She explains the importance of writing the outline before any writing because unlike fiction, nonfiction needs to have the structure beforehand or you risk going off on tangents and losing out on prospective publishers or readers. Her exercises on writing titles and hooks is a GAME CHANGER and helped me tremendously!
For writing, she reminds the reader that with the outline, the writer has the freedom to write the manuscript out of order, which can allow the creative juices to flow no matter what. Notaras places ample emphasis on the need for proper editing, from developmental to proofing. I appreciate the added focus on the different kinds of editing a writer will need, especially for anyone looking to self-publish. It's not cheap, but good editing is necessary for success.
Lastly, Notaras breaks up the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing. While she provides plenty of information, it also felt like this section was lacking the detail of the previous two. While I know she spent her time in traditional publishing, I will say that if you're looking for self-publishing, you'll probably find more answers to your questions from authors on YouTube who take the time to really go into detail.
Overall, this book highlighted the start to finish of writing a nonfiction book, and the voice was fun to read and the book itself easy to follow (as one would expect from an industry expert). For nonfiction writers, this is a must-read.
Kelly Notaras has decades of experience in the publishing world and provided every detail to not only getting published or finding an agent, but also how to create the nonfiction book you were born to write, whether it's autobiographical, business forward, educational, or motivational. She breaks down the process into three obvious sections: pre-writing, writing, and post-writing.
Notaras provides a few outlines in both the chronological book as well as in the appendix. She explains the importance of writing the outline before any writing because unlike fiction, nonfiction needs to have the structure beforehand or you risk going off on tangents and losing out on prospective publishers or readers. Her exercises on writing titles and hooks is a GAME CHANGER and helped me tremendously!
For writing, she reminds the reader that with the outline, the writer has the freedom to write the manuscript out of order, which can allow the creative juices to flow no matter what. Notaras places ample emphasis on the need for proper editing, from developmental to proofing. I appreciate the added focus on the different kinds of editing a writer will need, especially for anyone looking to self-publish. It's not cheap, but good editing is necessary for success.
Lastly, Notaras breaks up the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing. While she provides plenty of information, it also felt like this section was lacking the detail of the previous two. While I know she spent her time in traditional publishing, I will say that if you're looking for self-publishing, you'll probably find more answers to your questions from authors on YouTube who take the time to really go into detail.
Overall, this book highlighted the start to finish of writing a nonfiction book, and the voice was fun to read and the book itself easy to follow (as one would expect from an industry expert). For nonfiction writers, this is a must-read.
March 19, 2024
To be clear, the book _I_ was born to write is a complex hilarious mystical philosophical heartwarming but gutwrenching masterpiece of weird fiction that will forever change the psyche of a fractious global civilization in an age of transformation.
But I think I also have some compelling works of Transformative Non-fiction in me, and that's what this book is about. Transformative Non-fiction is maybe a more elevated form of, or at least a more elevated name for, Self-help: life lessons or a philosophy or techniques for living life better.
As far as I can tell, the only work of Transformative Non-fiction that Kelly Notaras has written is this book, a Transformative Non-fiction book about how to write Transformative Non-fiction. Her credentials are as an editor. At first I was dubious: how can you be an expert in something you've only done one of? But having read the book and thought about this, I am ready to accept that decades of editing is actually the perfect background. If she'd written a ton of self-help books, her expertise would mostly be in the self-help subject matter; instead, we get to experience the expertise of someone who's done her best to make decades worth of other people's books find and land with an audience.
The advice is practical. The audiobook, which I listened to, comes with a PDF, which makes it easier to extract exercises/etc. and start doing something practical with your ideas.
This is the kind of book that makes you feel creative and energized to read.
But I think I also have some compelling works of Transformative Non-fiction in me, and that's what this book is about. Transformative Non-fiction is maybe a more elevated form of, or at least a more elevated name for, Self-help: life lessons or a philosophy or techniques for living life better.
As far as I can tell, the only work of Transformative Non-fiction that Kelly Notaras has written is this book, a Transformative Non-fiction book about how to write Transformative Non-fiction. Her credentials are as an editor. At first I was dubious: how can you be an expert in something you've only done one of? But having read the book and thought about this, I am ready to accept that decades of editing is actually the perfect background. If she'd written a ton of self-help books, her expertise would mostly be in the self-help subject matter; instead, we get to experience the expertise of someone who's done her best to make decades worth of other people's books find and land with an audience.
The advice is practical. The audiobook, which I listened to, comes with a PDF, which makes it easier to extract exercises/etc. and start doing something practical with your ideas.
This is the kind of book that makes you feel creative and energized to read.
Read
November 28, 2022Astonishing coherent and straightforward
The other chooses a folksy conversational style to explain to the aspiring authors the challenges and the rewards. She speaks to the aspiring authors straight at the beginning with the title and provides step by step understanding of the various options for publication of a book. She doesn't mince words, and she shares openly that which she has deduced from her years in the publishing industry. Mark Twain in one of his final tomes tells the story of the reality beyond this world. He explains that the most honored writer could have been someone from Kentucky who never was able to get published in his earthly lifetime. He states that the man was more capable of writing than Shakespeare. In other words earthly accolades to famous writers are not necessarily the best writers as there are many undiscovered champions and wordsmiths ready to put pen to paper. What a great find for those who are starting our journey during our senior years. May my mind stay clear enough over the next two or three decades to
write those five books that I long to complete. Listen to the coach Kelly Notaris, and your team might indeed achieve their goals.
The other chooses a folksy conversational style to explain to the aspiring authors the challenges and the rewards. She speaks to the aspiring authors straight at the beginning with the title and provides step by step understanding of the various options for publication of a book. She doesn't mince words, and she shares openly that which she has deduced from her years in the publishing industry. Mark Twain in one of his final tomes tells the story of the reality beyond this world. He explains that the most honored writer could have been someone from Kentucky who never was able to get published in his earthly lifetime. He states that the man was more capable of writing than Shakespeare. In other words earthly accolades to famous writers are not necessarily the best writers as there are many undiscovered champions and wordsmiths ready to put pen to paper. What a great find for those who are starting our journey during our senior years. May my mind stay clear enough over the next two or three decades to
write those five books that I long to complete. Listen to the coach Kelly Notaris, and your team might indeed achieve their goals.
June 5, 2023
The summary reveals that this is a guide to writing not just any book, but "Transformational Nonfiction," which basically mean self-help or inspirational memoir.
Even if that's not the sort of book you were "born to write," this contains a lot of good info for anyone writing any book, but know that it's not so much about how to write. More of the book is about how to publish, and how to prepare your book for publication. There are tips on self-publishing and on how to submit to publishers, and excellent advice to get your work professionally edited.
Note: I read the audiobook, but currently no audio editions are listed on Goodreads.
Even if that's not the sort of book you were "born to write," this contains a lot of good info for anyone writing any book, but know that it's not so much about how to write. More of the book is about how to publish, and how to prepare your book for publication. There are tips on self-publishing and on how to submit to publishers, and excellent advice to get your work professionally edited.
Note: I read the audiobook, but currently no audio editions are listed on Goodreads.
January 20, 2024
I really enjoyed the format of this book. It was easy to read and follow along. It wasn’t too much information at one time. I loved the spiritual aspect of the book as well. The way the author writes was like an old friend talking to you and it actually motivates you to do exactly what you want to do, write! It mentions at the end of the book how this is the first book where the authors name is the only name on it. She’s always been an editor or ghost writer so reading this accomplishment for her was very delightful! Overall if you’re looking for inspiration or guidance on getting that book that’s on your mind out into the world, I would recommend reading Kelly Notaras book!
November 24, 2024
I am giving this four stars because even though I am not writing a self-help book, which this self-help book is targeted at, there were parts that were so brilliant and relevant that I was really helped. Case in point: Put together a pretend book with a pretend cover that represents the book you are trying to write. As yourself every day how that makes you feel. So much of what stops writers is fear, and this author definitely speaks to those issues. So I will keep this book on my shelf, even though it is not for novel writers.
March 14, 2021
This book might be geared toward non-fiction writers/authors, but it was almost an immense help to this fiction writer with a lot of great chapters on Editing, Creating an author base, and especially the chapters at the end with Self-Publishing. I have learned a great deal by reading this book, and I have some idea now of what direction I would like to pursue. To the author, thank you so much for writing this book.
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